General characteristics of the dog, the version of the Bedlington Terrier breeding, its appearance on the world stage, the ancestors of the breed, confusion with the criteria for the coat of the dog, the popularization and recognition of the variety. The Bedlington Terrier or Bedlingtion Terrier, compared to many typical breeds, is a fairly modern creation, whose ancestor is known as the Rothber Terrier. They were kept and bred mainly by local miners, gypsies, itinerant musicians in the northern region of England. Native to Northumberland County, these native terriers evolved during the 1700s and 1800s, surpassing otters, foxes, badgers, and rabbits as pest hunters.
The breed is distinguished by its arched backs and long legs, and their unusual wool coats give them a lamb-like appearance. The heads are narrow and rounded. Dogs have low ears, triangular in shape and rounded at the tips. They are thin and velvety, covered with soft hair, with a tassel at the top.
The entire coat of a dog is made up of hard and fluffy hair that stands out from the skin and is slightly coarse rather than wiry to the touch. Hair tends to frizz, especially on the head and muzzle. For the show ring, the coat should be trimmed to one inch in length on the body and slightly longer on the legs.
The variety has the following coat colors: blue, blue-brown, sandy, sandy brown, liver. With a two-tone coat, they have tan marks on the legs, chest, eyes, underside of the tail and on the inner back of the limbs.
Versions of the origin of the Bedlington Terrier
The earliest written evidence of this type of canine dates back to 1702, when the Hungarian nobleman Z. Molar arrived in Rothbury and wrote the following in his diary: “Today we hunted … on the way home we passed a gypsy camp … These people had a small agar (agar) Hungarian greyhound, dogs with lamb-like hair. Lord Charles told me that these are outstanding dogs for catching a hare and a rabbit …"
The modern Bedlington Terrier looks like an athletic greyhound because of its arched back, lean body and long legs. Their woolen "coats" give them their characteristic lamb look. According to Molar, the Rothberian terriers he saw then had the same physical characteristics.
Despite the fact that the descendants of these rough-coated patchwork dogs were not known under the breed name Bedlington Terriers until 1825, their pedigree can be studied since 1782. Researchers trace her back to the Old Flint, a Rotbury Terrier, Squire Trevelian's pet, and other individuals kept by William and James Allen.
William Allan in Rothbury Forest, Northumberland owned a pack of rough terriers and was known for his skill in hunting otters. He was born in 1704 and his son James, the last of his six children, in 1739. He inherited his father's dogs, which included two favorites named "Peach" and "Pinscher".
Among the descendants of these dogs, the names "Piper", "Phoebe" and "Charlie" are also beloved pets of William Allan. The nicknames "Peachem", "Phoebe", "Pincher", and "Piper" appear frequently in the early Bedlington Terrier pedigree and throughout the 1800s, increasing the likelihood that allan's rothbury terriers are the ancestors of the breed.
Another theory is that the Bedlington Terrier originates from the dogs of Mr. Edward Donkin of Flotterton, the owner of the Foxhound pack. His terriers, which achieved keen hunting abilities, were called "Peach" and "Pinscher". But Donkin bred and displayed the Bedlingtion Terrier in the early 1800s, decades after Will's death, and after his son Piper Allan died, Edward's dogs were more likely descendants of Allan's Rottern Terriers, as they bore the names of some of the more early dogs.
Mr. Joseph Ainsley, a bricklayer by trade, came up with the name for the breed after hunting in Bedlington, Northumberland in 1825. He gave this name to his pet "Piper Ainsley", who was born in 1825. Piper Ainsley, Pinscher Anderson, Payham Ainsley, Pikham Donkin, Piper Donina and Piper Turnbull are considered the founders of the bedlingtion terrier.
The Bedlington Terrier is on the world stage
In 1859, Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne had the honor to take part in the first dog shows in England. The show helped fuel public interest in the Bedlington Terrier, which until this time was well known and loved, but mostly within Northumberland. Already in 1869, records of Bedlington Terriers that received prizes in Manchester were presented at the Kennel Club.
In 1874, the first herd book contained a list of thirty individuals. In 1870, a dog show was held in Bedlington, which created a class for the breed. In 1871, at the Crystal Palace, Mr. H. Lacey, a red-colored dog, won the victory and became a frequent winner of early shows. By January 1, 1890, a record 83 copies were submitted to a competition in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the same building where the 1st show was held.
The most successful Bedlington Terrier breeders and exhibitors since the 1880s have been Mr S. Taprell Holland and Mr Thomas Pickett. Holland's two pets, Peach and Fan, rose to prominence when their illustrations appeared in a British magazine in 1869. Mr Pickett spearheaded the push to popularize the Bedlington Terriers in England. The most famous dogs he bred are Tear’em, Tyne and Tyneside - a pet immortalized in a painting by George Earle. Mr. J. Parker, Mr. Wheatley and Mr. J. Stoddard were also renowned breeders.
The bedlingtion terrier club, formed in 1875, had a thorny start. In 1877 it was disbanded and regrouped in 1882. This attempt met the same fate and was revived again in 1887. On October 4, 1893, the National Bedlington Terrier Club (NBTC) was created, which still exists today. The breed standard was written in 1897, and on June 7, 1898 the NBTC breed was registered in the kennel club.
Bedlington Terrier progenitors
It remains unclear which species have crossed over to create the specific properties of the variety. The ears of the dog are attributed to the otterhound, the fighting character of the bull terrier, the long legs of the greyhound and the whippet. But, according to Herbert Compton, author of The Twentieth Century Dog (1904), the Bedlington did not need bull terriers or otterhounds to improve his love of water.
He claims that the breed that the Northumbrians kept appreciated for its great hunting ability. W. Russell in 1891 suggested that the otter hound was mixed with the rothbury terriers and the greyhound. This gave the animal drooping ears and a top of the skull, as well as an "elegant shape" of the body.
Some hobbyists believe that the dinmont dandies crossed with the early Rothberies. Others argue that both the Bedlington Terriers and the Dandie Dinmonts arose from the long-legged rothbury terriers, which bore short-legged individuals and were eventually split into two separate breeds.
Confusion over coat criteria for Bedlington Terriers
In the early 1880s, the Bedlington Terrier were not well known outside of their home region, with only a few dogs taken outside Northumberland. Only in the 1890s did nurseries growing the breed spread throughout England and Scotland. Even with this development, in the early 1900s, 75% of the nearly seventy NBTC members lived in the northern part of the country. In the early 1900s, the species was the least popular among dogs in its homeland, according to correspondent William Morris.
As the Bedlingtons became widely featured in the show ring in the late 1800s, controversy over their appearance grew. Worried about their color and hairstyle. How should they appear naturally or should they be trimmed and trimmed? Mr. Thomas Pickett was inclined to believe that the upper part of the dog should be a darker shade than the main "coat", while later amateurs were of a different opinion. By the early 1890s, preference was given to blue and black individuals. Show dogs have undergone coloration and color change in various ways.
Color and hairstyle requirements for the breed remained extremely volatile. First, for the show ring, a sufficient haircut and plucking of the natural cover was required. The judges did not require hair removal if it was done with a fine comb. If bald spots were visible on the skin, the dog could be disqualified. In addition, individuals with a blue tint and lighter tops became so favored that they encouraged deceptive tactics such as dyeing show dogs' coats. According to Judge Li, deception is overlooked or ignored on many occasions.
Many believed that sometimes the natural finish looked great and did not need to be trimmed. But, if the "coat" was too long, it hid the "graceful contour of the animal" and also collected dirt. To show the shape, the old hair had to be removed with a stiff comb, or with a pluck. A leading English kennel, on October 18, 1889, reported in The Dog Fancier that some breeders were being severely punished and their dogs were disqualified for lack of well-defined "hairstyle" restrictions. Claiming that only old hair is allowed to be removed, the author of the article admitted how difficult it is to determine after such a manipulation. The vagueness of the rules encouraged deceiving methods.
On January 3, 1890, the English stock-keeper therefore relied on the opinion of the judges and gave them the will of expression, which led to dishonesty and injustice. Therefore, later the judges began to make demands in favor of a more accurate, rather than natural appearance. In doing so, they encouraged excessive change in the coarse and slightly dirty coat of the dog.
The Bedlington Terrier Club voted unanimously in January 1890 to ask the Kennel Club to formally consider removing only excess hair in order to "tighten" the appearance of the "coat" or to show the outline of the dog rather than cheating. On February 4, 1890, the organization agreed that it was acceptable to remove only wool that was determined to be old or dead. It was forbidden to cut off a new "fur coat" or hair in the area of the head and ears. This step of establishing more specific, definite guidelines helped to improve the situation related to the formation and texture of the coat.
However, the question of the color of Bedlington Terriers was still an open problem. In 1898, at a dog show in Edinburgh, a pedigree female was discovered, painted in dark blue. Another owner presented a specimen with a blue coating and white markings on the chest, front and hind legs. He was suspected of fraud, and he admitted that he "touched" only his toes. The Kennel Club committee restricted his participation in show contests for five years.
Popularization and history of recognition of Bedlington Terriers
The Bedlingtion terrier arrived in America during the 1880-1900s. The species was brought to the United States by Mr. JW Blythe from Iowa. One of his pets "Young Topsy" won the top position at the competition in St. Louis in the "Rough Hairy Terrier" class.
In 1883, Tynesider II became the first representative to be registered with the American Kennel Register. A blue-colored bitch named "Ananias", born May 13, 1884, was recorded in the AKC studbook in 1886. By this time, the Bedlington Terrier had achieved recognition from the AKC. In 1898, the American breed club disbanded due to a decrease in the number of its members.
Until 1932, not a single parent club of the variety will emerge. Dr. Charles J. McEnulty and Mr. Anthony Tory chaired the first meeting in Madison, NJ at the Morris and Essex kennel club dog show. This was followed by the formation of the Bedlington Terrier Club of America (BTCA), of which Colonel M. Robert Guggenheim was elected president. BTCA recognized the AKC in 1936.
W. Russell, a New Yorker, was a breed expert and breeder who owned the first Tick Tack champion in the 1890s. His knowledge and promotion of Bedlington Terriers helped pave the way for future American breeders such as Colonel Guggenheim and William Rockefeller.
The Guggenheim opened their nurseries in Florence in the 1920s. In the 1940s, the city was considered a "dynasty of dogs," according to the AKC website. In 1927, his pet Dehema O'Lada from Florence won the American Bedlington Terrier Best Show. In the same year at the Westminster show, other pupils of this breeder dominated with their class.
The Rock Ridge Kennels, owned by William A. Rockefeller, have been instrumental in promoting Bedlington Terriers in the United States of America. His pet, Ch. Rock Ridge Night Rocket, won Best in Show in 1947 and 1948 at the Morris and Essex Kennel Club Dog Show. This champion dog also received high titles at the Westminster Competition in 1948.
Such successes have helped to multiply the number of registered representatives of the species in America. This placed the breed 56th out of 111 in popularity between 1974 and 1948. It moved six more positions in 1949, peaking by the late 1960s. Images of this variety appeared in the February 8, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Two other early Bedlington Terrier kennels in the United States, Tynesdale and Rowanoaks Kennels, were founded by Dr. Charles J. McNulty. They have released many champions. The Rowanoaks Nurseries, owned by Colonel Mitchell and Connie Willemsen, produced many decent individuals during the 1930s. The most famous of these was “Ch. Tarragona of Rowanoaks”, which laid the foundation for quality lines.
Membership of the National Bedlington Terrier Club (NBTC) continues to grow worldwide, and its Newsletters are published twice a year. In 1998, from 27 to 29 March, the organization celebrated its centenary in Bedlington, Northumberland. She organized a first-born dog show that collected 139 entries.
In 1968, there were 816 bedlington terriers registered with the AKC at their peak in the United States. But, by 2010, the number of livestock living in America began to decline, and the demand rating dropped to 140th out of 16 official AKC breeds. While the number of bedlingtons has declined, hobbyists and enthusiasts continue to promote and support the species in a variety of ways.
The BTCA Kennel Club breed book was created in the 1970s to document and preserve historical data. In the 1990s, this organization became one of the first parenting clubs to actively participate electronically on the mailing list. Today the club supports sending information on three different topics related to Bedlington Terriers. The BTCA has worked closely with the Canine Health Foundation and other organizations, which has made great strides in combating breed diseases, minimizing genetic disruption and making changes to the sequence of the animal's genetics.
More about the history of dogs in the following video:
